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Hear me, O Lord, and that soon, Z13a Z13b

Introduction

Hear me, O Lord, and that soon is a first-rate anthem, perhaps dating from as early as 1679 or 1680: it too is found in Fitzwilliam MS 88. There are four soloists, but Purcell frequently diverts the bass singer away from the continuo line, creating a sonorous, five-part texture which is especially rich. The opening section is contrapuntally complex and dominated by the glorious, falling motif ‘for my spirit waxeth faint’: the angular melody of ‘hide not thy face from me’ is splendidly quirky. ‘O let me hear thy loving kindness’ is set as an appealing duet between treble and bass, with the bass singer once again holding a line independent of the continuo section. The pleading four-part ‘Deliver me, O Lord’ is sung first by the four soloists, and then by the full choir: the harmony of Purcell’s opening block chords is highly individual, as are the melodic lines in the duet that follows for alto and tenor, ‘Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth thee’. The solo sections close with the quartet ‘Quicken me, O Lord’ whose rapid tonal changes – heading at times into keys infrequently charted by composers of the time – illustrate the need to ‘bring my soul out of trouble’. After such tonal ambiguities, the Gloria, in its bright, five-part D major, seems confident that God will answer this prayer.

'It is hard to speak too highly of this enterprise … much enjoyment to be had' (Gramophone)'the performances from The King’s Consort and its Choir, the Choir of New College and a starry line-up of soloists have such qualities of concentratio ...» More

Hear me, O Lord, and that soon, for my spirit waxeth faint; hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. O let me hear thy loving kindness betimes in the morning, for in thee is my trust. Show thou me the way that I should walk in, for I lift up my soul to thee. Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies, for I flee unto thee to hide me. Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth thee, for thou art my God. Let thy loving spirit lead me forth into the land of righteousness. Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake, and for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, World without end, Amen.